Ask the Pro's: Road Accessible Remote Fishing

I hope your drive goes well. British Columbia has some great fish along the way. Most rivers in Alaska open June 11. The Kenai River is my home so if you are trying to get away from the crowds a guided trip down the Canyon makes a fantastic day. It sounds like catch and release fishing is what you are interested in? The Kenai Peninsula has a lot of fishing within a small area. After ice out Cooper Landing has some fantastic Grayling fishing at the lakes just a few mile hike up and away from the river. One of my favorite spots is lower Fuller Lake. In May and June King Salmon are available in Ninilchick, Deep Creek and Kasilof.

Fall is the best fishing of the season. Fishing on the Kenai River is hard to beat. I would recommend contacting me when you get up there and taking a float you can contact me at 303-482-7177 or zwa55@hotmail.com. If you want to learn how to catch fish up there (i.e. Where, fly patterns, techniques, regulations and ethics). I can be your guide on the river for the day and for the do it yourself for the rest of your stay. We also have a lot of hidden creeks that connect to the Kenai River that host fantastic Dolly Varden fishing. Timing the Sockeye Spawn is everything on these creeks. You also will need to fish the right bead. I hope this helps on your Alaskan Vacation!

Tight Lines

Hi Harold,

There are a lot of options for you on the road system in South Central Alaska during the summer months.

If you are looking for good trout fishing near Anchorage, you can travel north of Anchorage or South of Anchorage.

The southern streams will not open to trout fishing until June 11th. You have the Upper Kenai River, that with some leg work can be some what less combative but there will be people. Hiking up river on the Russian River can lend to some quiet water and exceptional "classic style" trout fishing, meaning dries, nymphs and streamers. Come August you will want to spend some time on Quartz Creek, the Dolly fishing, once Sockeye are in there to spawn, is outstanding. Quartz will have people on it but you can find solitude and a ton of fish.

Traveling North along the Alaska Parks Hwy, you have about 5 rivers that have great trout and grayling fly-fishing. All of these river are freestone, smaller, walk-n-wade style rivers. Willow, Little Willow, Sheep, Goose and Montana Creeks will provide some salmon fishing (depending on emergency orders from ADF&G) below the highway and trout/grayling from top to bottom.

If you want to travel farther North towards Fairbanks, you will run into pretty much all Grayling streams. There is a lot of options up that way and virtually no people.

Just let me know if I can answer any further questions, I am happy to help and get you on the right track.

Without knowing more about your trip constraints, there are numerous drainages along the Parks Highway from Wasilla to Fairbanks that are road accessible. Some of the more noteworthy drainages include the Little Susitna (the "Little Su" to locals), Willow Creek, and Montana Creek. On the Kenai Peninsula, consider the Kasilof River and Anchor River. Keep in mind, any drainage that is road accessible can receive considerable pressure during prime times.

Kodiak Island has several good road accessible options between the town of Kodiak and Pasagshak Bay that generally don't see the pressure or crowds of the Parks Highway or Kenai Peninsula drainages. And you can take your car or RV over on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system.

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